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Canberra company ranked one of Australia’s Best Places to Work

By B2B Editor24 September 2017

Local professional services firm Cordelta, named in the top 10 best places to work in Australia for two consecutive years, has moved into a trendy new office in Fyshwick to accommodate its expanding team.

The company, which started with just three people in 2004, now has a workforce of more than 80 that supports a growing number of government departments and private sector clients with a wide range of management, technology and people services.

Ken Gutterson, Cordelta co-founder and Managing Director, attributes its success to a blend of unique philosophies on managing clients and caring for employees and the broader community.

“There were three of us in the beginning,” says Ken. “And we had a strong vision and a unique model that hadn’t been tried before, so we gave it a go and it worked. In essence, Cordelta was founded on the idea that we wanted to help others be successful, which sounds clich d, but it works.”

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The Cordelta model has allowed the company to scale significantly over the past 13 years, creating hundreds of jobs for Canberrans in roles such as strategy and planning, business transformation, project services, procurement, finance and accounting, and technology and security. A separate arm of the business, MTP Services, offers recruitment and contracting services.

The founding partners’ philosophies on people management (their own in particular) have made headlines, securing them a top ten ranking on the BRW Best Places to Work in Australia survey two years in a row.

“Our primary focus is always our employees,” says Ken. “If they all left tomorrow, we’d have nothing, so we’re consistently setting new benchmarks on what it means to be a great place to work. This funky new office in Fyshwick is one small part of that, because it’s important to offer a workplace that supports staff in both functionality and aesthetics. People are amazed when they walk through the door.”

Ken says that Cordelta is always looking to recruit new staff that are passionate and can truly see the value in what they do.

“It’s so exciting to work with people who have passion; you can do amazing things together. If you give someone autonomy, support and respect they will give you their best, and that’s exactly what we need to serve our clients. We’re not a small operation now by any means, so it’s essential to have the right structure to support us.”

And support they do, organising and funding annual getaways for employees and their families at a holiday resort, to say thank you for their efforts. In previous years, they’ve gone to Thredbo, Luna Park and the Blue Mountains. Next year’s trip will be to one of the best hotels on the NSW South Coast.

Of building a business in the Territory, Ken says that he sees a strong future in the ACT economy and is proud to be part of it.

“Canberra has been very good to us, and we don’t see the business environment slowing down anytime soon. I love living here, and as an organisation we give back as much as we can by supporting local organisations such as soccer clubs, OzHarvest, Vinnies and many others.

“But our passion is investing in the people of Canberra by providing jobs and supporting them in reaching career aspirations. At the end of the day, it’s about the legacy you leave behind. And we just want to make something better than how we found it. That’s what drives us.”

For more information about Cordelta, or to submit your interest in joining the team, visit Cordelta.